Singapore to charge couple infected with coronavirus for spreading false information

Singapore is set to charge a Chinese couple on February 28 for spreading misinformation, Ministry of Health said. According to international media reports, both of them would be charged under the Infectious Disease Act. The duo would be the first people to be charged under the act since the outbreak of coronavirus. 

'Had given false information' 

According to reports, the ministry of health said that both of them had given false information to officials and obstructed the conduct of contact tracing. The man was identified as Hu Jun, a 38-year-old Chinese citizen from Wuhan whereas his wife was identified as Shi Sha, a 36-year-old Chinese national residing in Singapore. 

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Jun who arrived in Singapore on January 22 was tested positive for the virus on January 31 and was discharged from the hospital on February 19. The ministry issued a quarantine order for his wife after the process of contact tracing, which was used to identify people who had been in contact with Jun while he was infected. 

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The MOH accused both of them of providing false information to its officials about their movements and whereabouts from January 22 to January 29. In addition, Shi was accused of providing false information while being under quarantine. However, the ministry said it was able to discover the real movement of the couple through detailed investigation. It added that both of them will be charged on February 28 in view of potentially serious repercussions and the threat they placed to public health. 

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According to reports, the epidemic has killed over 2,700 people worldwide, with the vast majority in mainland China. Also, there have been more than 80,000 global cases of the infection, international media reported.  Meanwhile, World Health Organization officials and US experts have said that it was too early to declare the coronavirus a pandemic but it was the time to prepare, international media reported.